Familiar, Yet Different
by Sula 74
Summary: Kakashi is sealed in his eight year old body, with his eight year old memories and his eight year old attitude. Somehow, this becomes Iruka's problem. Written for a KakaIru Fest prompt on Livejournal. (I know I'm supposed to post chapters a few days apart to increase ratings and comments, but I'm an impatient reader and I assume many of you are, too.)
1. Chapter 1

Written for this great prompt in KakaIru Summer Fest 2014 at Livejournal: Kakashi gets hit by a jutsu and becomes a child, with all his bossy, bratty attitude from way before. He gets placed in Iruka's class.

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Iruka was lust leaving the Academy for the day when he heard he piercing cry of a hawk. He looked up and saw it circling above his head, almost as if it were there for him. He looked around for the jounin it must be here to summon, but they were either out of his sightlin or hiding. Another cry from the bird made him stop and look up, then look around again for its intended target. Whoever it was probably didn't want to be seen. Thinking that the faster he got out of here the faster the unseen ninja could respond to his or her summons, Iruka picked up his step and fairly jogged off the field. The hawk seemed to be taking umbrage at the other shinobi's reluctance to show themselves, now crying louder and circling lower, not accustomed to being ignored. Iruka cast a quick glance over his shoulder as he was about to turn the corner and saw the hawk swooping right toward him, so close he had to duck to avoid the extended talons while he clapped his hands over his ears to protect them from the birds indignant screams. When Iruka looked up, the hawk was standing on the ground in front of him, reared up to its full height, wings spread and flapping powerfully for attention. It looked pissed.

Iruka tried to step around the large bird, only to have the bird match his movements, flapping and muttering angrily. Iruka tried to step around on the other side, and the bird repeated its performance, this time adding a quick nip in the direction of Iruka's sandaled feet.

"Me?" Iruka asked, pointing to himself. "You're here for me?"

The hawk made some quiet squawking sounds in its throat and continued to stare. Iruka sighed and dropped his shoulders. "OK, but I think there's been some mistake. I'm going to remember this if the Hokage laughs me out of her office, and you're going to be in trouble for bringing the wrong ninja."Iruka said before turning and starting in the direction of the Hokage tower. A quick look back showed the great bird watching him walk off, then jumping from the ground to the top of the fence that ran along the road, following him at a short distance. When Iruka stopped, it muttered and flapped its wings in annoyance. Iruka shook his head and picked up his pace. Better to get this cleared up quickly.

As Iruka walked past the mission room, he spotted Shizune at the corner desk, reading through a thick file.

"Ah, excuse me, Shizune-san," Iruka said,hating to bother her when she seemed so caught up in her work. But thinking it was probably better than bothering the Hokage with this little mix-up.

Shizune looked up from the notes she was writing, polite smile in place.

"Hello, Iruka-sensai. How can I help you?"

"I think there's been a mistake with one of the messenger hawks. It seems to think the Hokage wants to see me." He paused for a moment. "It seems very adamant about it."

Shizune looked thoughtful for a moment, then her face suddenly lit up. "Ah, Iruka-sensei, you may be just the man we're looking for. One moment, please, while I talk to Tsunade-sama."

"Of course," Iruka replied, wondering what she could possibly mean.

A moment later the door to the mission room was flung open by Tsunade herself. "Iruka-sensai, it's about time! How long does it take a ninja to walk from the academy ot the Hokage tower?"

Iruka shuffled his feet self-consciously before replying. "Ah, Hokage-sama, my apologies. I thought there was a mistake when the hawk was sent for me. You usually just send a regular messenger when you want to see me," he added, feeling no small need to defend himself.

Tsunade grunted her acknowledgement, then called for Shizune to come into the room with them, closing the door and locking it.

"Iruka-sensei, I have a job for you. I have a very sensitive situation and I need you to take care of it."

"Of course, Hokage-sama!" Iruka replied, standing at attention even as he wondered what on earth this "sensitive situation" could be.

"One of our shinobi was captured by a band of missing-nin. The shinobi was rescued by the rest of his team, but not before his captors were able to seal his chakra. I need time to study the seal and counteract it if I can."

"I see," said Iruka, even though he really didn't.

"The shinobi in question is not himself." She hesitated a moment. "Or maybe he's more himself," she amended thoughtfully. "Either way," she continued, "until I get this figured out, he's being placed on restriction. I need to limit whom he interacts with, and how, and what parts of the village he can access."

"And where do I come in, if I may ask, Hokage_sama?"

"I'm placing this ninja in your care."

"My care? Tsunade-sama, with all due respect, I'm not sure I'm best for this job. I have no experience with seals and only basic medical jutsu. And how much time can I spend caring for him when I'm at school or the mission desk all the time."

"You'll be spending seven hours a day with him, since he'll be in your class."

"My—my class? Hokage-sama, I don't understand. You can't put a sick shinobi in a pre-genin class!"

Tsunade stood from her seat and slammed her fist into the table, leaning over to glare at Iruka. "I can do anything I want, Iruka-sensei, and you will follow my orders!"

"Yes, Hokage-Sama!" Iruka cowed, surprised at himself for talking back to his Hokage, but still wondering how he was going to watch an injured comrade while supervising twenty-seven pre-genin at the same time.

Tsunade settled back into her seat, almost as if nothing had happened. "Besides, the person in question isn't sick or injured, he's just...altered. And in his current condition you may be one of the best people to deal with him. I'm sure your expertise will be invaluable with this situation."

"My expertise?" Iruka repeated, now thoroughly confused.

Tsunade sighed and rested her elbows on the table in front of her. "The shinobi in question has been retuned to a child-like state. Actually, as far as we can tell, he's become a child physically as well as mentally"

Iruka took a moment to ponder this. "So, you mean-"

"What I mean," Tsunade interrupted, "is that my shinobi who left on this mission a week ago as a twenty-eight year old man has returned to me as an eight year old child who is a little over four feet tall, weighs about sixty-five pounds, and is prone to pouting as well as a possible temper tantrum when he doesn't get enough sleep at night."

Tsunade sighed and rubbed her forehead before continuing. "As for his mental state, he seems to retain all his memories, knowledge, and personality quirks that he had at age eight, but none after that. By cross-referencing his current height and weight with his medical chart, as well as comparing his memories with his service record and historical events, we've but his age at eight years and two months. As far as he is concerned, everything that's happened since he was that age is in the future. He remembers Konoha as it was before the Kyuubi attack, thinks we're on the brink of the third Shinobi War, and doesn't remember anyone who was born after that time."

Iruka shifted his weight as he absorbed this information. He _did_ have a lot of experience with children this age, and it would be fairly easy to blend him into the class as a new student, hiding him in plain sight, as it were, while Tsunade studied the seal.

"A few questions, if I may, Tsunade-sama?"

Tsunade templed her hands beneath her chin and motioned for him to continue.

"Why did someone apply this seal? It sounds like it would take a lot of time and energy, and doing that in the field seems impractical."

"We think this was an opportunistic attack. The ninja in question would make a very, very valuable hostage but would also be risky to hang on to at full power. We think that they applied this seal with the intention of removing it once they had gotten him someplace more secure, or transported him to whoever would have use of him and would be willing to pay for it."

"I see. If I may ask, why enroll him in the academy? Why not sequester him somewhere safe until the seal is broken?"

"Because we don't know yet that we will be able to break this seal," Tsunade admitted. "The seal is strong and looks stable. We have one of the jounin from the party in custody, but we aren't yet sure if he was he caster or how much he knows about the seal. The seal resembles nothing we've seen before, so it may take us some time to research it. In the eventuality that the seal remains intact then it will be easier to integrate him into the present day Konoha if he's been exposed to it at least a little bit."

"One last question, please. Who is the affected shinobi?"

Tsunade narrowed her eyes at him, watching him intently, as she told him.

"Hatake Kakashi"

Iruka did his best to keep his face expressionless, especially with the critical glare of the Hokage on him. Hatake Kakashi. Yes, he would be a valuable hostage for many reasons: his knowledge of village secrets, his Sharingan eye, his attachment to Naruto.

Shizune stepped forward with a rustling of papers. "I've put together a file on little Kakashi-kun, based on what we know so far. His talents, abilities, health record..."

Iruka wasn't listening. "_Kakashi-kun?" _he thought_. This is really happening, isn't it?_

"Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka was sartled to see Shizune standing in front of him, a slim folder held out in front of her.

"Ah, excuse me. It's just... a lot to take in at once."

"It's ok, Iruka-sensei, I understand. However, there are somethings that we really should go over. As you know, Kakashi was a prodigy and had already been a chunin for over a year by the time he was eight, so it may be hard to hold his interest in class. We would like to see if the seal has affected his ability to use chakra or to acquire new memories, so if you could pay particular attention to these issues we would greatly appreciate it. Now, as for the Sharingan, the eye regressed in age along with the rest of him and is currently dormant. Please alert us should the sharingan activate."

Shizune paused to take a breath, her business like demeanor falling away. "as for Kakashi's personal state," she began, then stopped, searching for words. She sighed and started again. "You may be aware that Kakashi was orphaned at a young age. His mother died while he was very small and his father...his father committed seppuku when Kakashi was seven. It was, of course, very traumatic for little Kakashi. It took a long time for him to come to terms with that. But now, with this seal..."

Tsunade interrupted when Shizune hesitated to finish her sentence. "According to Kakashi, his father committed suicide six months ago."

"That must have been a very difficult age for him." Iruka said thoughtfully, thinking of other emotionally traumatized children he had taught.

Tsunade waved her hand. "All of Kakashi's ages were difficult. This may actually work in your favor as Kakashi after his father's death was very different from the Kakashi we know today. He became obsessed with rules and duty and being an exemplary Konoha shinobi."

Iruka stiffened. "I wouldn't want to take advantage of his emotional vulnerabilities, Hokage-sama."

"Hmmph," Tsunade snorted, "then you don't know Kakashi very well. I appreciate your ethics, it's one of the reasons why I chose you for this mission, but you're going to need all the advantage you can get."

"Ah, that's another thing, Hokage-sama. I _don't_ know Kakashi-san very well, but, um, I'm not sure that he likes me very much."

"It's OK, Iruka-sensei, he doesn't remember you now. You have a new chance to make a first impression. I suggest you don't blow it. Now, are you ready to meet your new student?"


	2. Chapter 2

Shizune went off to "fetch little Kakashi", leaving Iruka alone in the mission room with Tsunade.

"Ah, Tsunade-sama, can I ask one last question? Wouldn't it be better tell Kakashi-san the truth than go through all this subterfuge?" Iruka knew that lying and misdirection were second nature to shinobi life, so much so that sometimes the idea of honesty was a forgotten concept, but he also knew that lying to little kids always backfired. Always.

"Sure, Iruka-sensei, while he's still dealing with his father's death and being hit with an unfamiliar seal, lets add in the deaths of his team mates, the death of his teacher, and the death of his Hokage. You can tell him that the war he thinks is about to start has actually ended after many years of brutal fighting, and then you can sit here with him while he lists all the people he knows and you tell him who survived and who didn't. You can tell him about the Kyuubi attack that leveled half the village and wiped out more of his comrades. While you're at it, don't forget to tell him his genin team broke up when one of them went rogue right after Kakashi taught him one of his strongest jutsu. Maybe you'd also like to tell him that the kitten he thought ran away was actually trampled by a horse and that his father replaced his goldfish three times before Kakashi caught on."

"Ah...no, Hokage-sama, maybe you're right. Maybe a slow acclimation to the present day would be best."

Tsunade made a small grunt of acknowledgement. "I know you mean well, Iruka-sensei, and normally I do believe the truth, no matter how harsh, is the best way to deal with difficult realities, but a field shinobi who's been in service as long as Kakashi, and at his level...it's just too much for a seven-year old to handle."

As she finished, the door to the mission room opened, admitting Sakura, followed by a miniature Kakashi. It was all Iruka could do not to gape at the little boy. It was Kakashi, all right, only smaller. Same messy hair, only know his hitai-ate was worn at a normal angle, some of his bangs being caught in the center between his eyes. His eyes. Iruka tried not to stare while meeting the off-color gaze as he was introduced to his new student. One gray eye, the other a dark brown. No scar to be seen. Kakashi's face was still covered by a mask, but he stood taller, no slouching, both hands at his sides instead of in his pockets. No Icha Icha.

Little Kakashi didn't try to hide his disappointment from the people gathered around him. "I thought I was coming to see the Hokage," he stated flatly, casting a glance toward the door to the Hokage office.

"Why would you think that? I never said I was taking you to the Hokage!" Sakura started.

"Because we were going to the Hokage Tower. And because I've been back from for three days, and each day I've asked to see him."

Tsunade stood from her seat behind the desk. "And I told you each time, brat, that the Hokage is busy. I am in charge of your case. As the nation's top medic, I'm best qualified to evaluate your condition and progress."

"By dumping me back in the Ninja Academy?"

"You're questioning my decision?"

Iruka watched the boy deflate, his attitude escaping him in a small sigh. "No, Tsunade-sensei."

"Good. Now, I'm placing you in Iruka-sensei's class because he's a very gifted teacher, and he's the best one to spot any holes in your knowledge of basic jutsu and chakra fundamentals. He'll be reporting to me everyday, and I'll be checking up on you myself weekly, more often if needed. Iruka-sensei will be your primary contact. You'll be moved to an apartment near his for the time being."

"Why can't I stay in my own apartment?"

"Water damage. A pipe in the ceiling burst while you were gone and the apartment is being renovated. I've seen to it that your new apartment is fully stocked and some of your personal effects have been moved in. You're other option is to stay in the hospital. Now, I want you to go from the Academy back to your apartment each day. I don't want you over exerting yourself, and I want to know where you are at all times. There are still a lot of things we don't know about the seal that was placed on you, and I don't want any surprises. Am I clear?"

The boy nodded with a soft "Hai, Tsunade-sensei."

"Now, you'll need a codename while at the academy."

"A codename? Why?"

"Because we don't know if anyone will be able to trace the chakra in the seal to find you. It's for your own protection that we try to keep your identity hidden."

Kakashi's brow furrowed over his mismatched eyes. "How is a codename going to stop them from sensing the chakra in the seal?"

Tsunade's face froze as she tried to think of an answer, caught out already by a eight year old. "We don't know if they can trace the chakra or not!" she snapped. "That's why we will obfuscate your identity and limit your movements as much as possible."

"But everyone already knows who I am." Kakashi said, not bragging or boasting, just stating a fact. Iruka thought he heard an undertone of resentment mixed in with a child's frustration at having to go along with something they didn't want to do. Iruka recognized it as the tone of a child who got a lot more attention than they wanted, usually negative attention, and usually from bullies.

Tsunade sighed in frustration. "Try acting pleasant and smiling at people, no one will recognize you. Now, do you want to choose your new name, or shall I?"

Kakashi shrugged non-commitally.

"Fine, you'll be known as Yamada Kuwa until further notice. Any questions?"

"How long?"

Tsunade's demeanor softened. "I don't know, Kakashi, but I'll try my best," she said, coming to ruffle the boys unruly hair. "I'll read every book and scroll we have on seals, and I'll talk to all of the clan heads and anyone else who may be adept at sealing."

"What about Jiraiya-sensei?"

Tsunade's hand fell to her side she turned away to look out the window. "Jiraiya is..out of the village. We don't have a way to contact him."

Kakshi nodded at this, the worry evident on his face. Everyone had caught the shift in Tsunade's voice, even Kakashi.

"Well," Tsunade said, gathering her thoughts, "I think that settles everything. Kuwa, you'll report to Iruka-sensei's class tomorrow at 7:30 and you'll treat him as your team leader. Understood?"

"Yes, Tsunade-sensei." Kakashi bowed to Tsunade and then to Sakura, turning last to bow to Iruka. "Iruka-sensei, I look forward to working with you and thank you for your time in this matter."

Caught off guard, Iruka returned the bow, stammering only slightly when he said "I, too, look forward to working with you, Kakashi. I'm sure we'll get this settled in no time, and in the meanwhile, I'll be very happy to help you in any way I can. I've heard a lot about you."

Kakashi's head shot up at the last bit, his eyes guarded and mistrustful as he said "My name is Kuwa, Iruka-sensei," before walking out the door.


	3. Chapter 3

Iruka reviewed "Kuwa's" file once he got home from his meeting with the Hokage, memorizing some parts and trying to read between the lines of others. Iruka recognized loneliness and fear of abandonment in a lot of Kakashi's attitude with the Hokage. It was only to be expected, with little Kakashi's past. He knew from Shizune that after his father's death, Kakashi had felt like everyone's eyes were on him, waiting for him to fail, expecting it. A lot of resentment toward the father seemed to have been transferred over to the son. Add to that coming back from a mission where he had been captured and the only person he knew was Tsunade. Iruka knew that Tsunade had a soft spot for the quirky jounin, but even her soft spots were a little rough around the edges. No wonder he was feeling alone and abandoned!

The next morning Iruka left his house with a spring in his step and a determination to make friends with Kakashi. He was sure the little boy would be hungry for attention and positive reinforcement. On his way he passed a surprising number of jounin milling around the street with no apparent destination. Genma was at the cafe, hiding behind a newspaper; Raidou was at the flower stand, sniffing the same flowers over and over; Kurenai at the fish market, deliberating with utmost intensity over which filet looked the freshest: and Anko at the fruit stand, molesting every peach they had.

Iruka had been given three lists along with his mission file. One, a list of people Kakashi was allowed to interact with. That had included his new classmates; Naruto, Sakura, and Yamato, since they were on the mission when the event took place; Ino, since she was a Yamanaka who Kakashi wouldn't know but could use the family's mind reading jutsu; and a few other people who were too young for Kakashi to have met when he was a child, but who had an ability that might come in handy given his current situation. The second list was people who Iruka could talk to about his mission, but that Kakashi shouldn't see. This list included Shizune, Morino Ibiki and Yamanaka Inoichi, as well as some medic-nins at the hospital, and a list of ANBU who would be stationed near the school and near his and Kakashi's apartments. The third list was a list of people that should not be near Kakashi for any reason whatsoever. It included close childhood friends and classmates of Kakashi's as well as anyone who might make trouble for this mission. Every one of the hovering jounin were on that third list. All that was missing was-

"Iruka-sensei!"

Iruka flinched as much at the booming, over-exuberant voice as he did at the sight of green spandex and orange legwarmers hurtling toward him in the early morning sun.

"Iruka-sensei! I have heard that you are to help my Eternal Rival in his time of need, to gently shepherd him through the trying times of his youth, leading him with kindness and hope through the dark times of his adolescence, helping him navigate-

"Gai!" Iruka interrupted. "Who told you that?"

"Don't fear, Iruka-sensei, your secret is safe with me! I shall not interfere with your duty to my Esteemed Rival, and I shall protect your mission and his youthful innocence with all of my considerable might!"

"Well, thank you, I'm glad I have your support. However, I do need to draw as little attention to the situation as possible, so-"

"Of course, Iruka-sensei, I will be the model of discretion!" Gai shouted confidently, drawing more stares than he usually did.

Iruka waved his hands in a shushing motion, already knowing that trying to dial back Gai's enthusiasm was a lost cause. "Uh, Gai-sensei, I really should be going now. I want to make sure everything is prepared for class."

"Ah, Iruka-sensei, it is very noble of you to want to have everything ready to make our mutual friend's first day go smoothly, but I'm afraid you are already late," Gai said, crossing his arms and ending on a slightly reproachful note.

Iruka glanced at his watch. "What do you mean? I've still got twenty minutes before class starts."

"Of course! But no one knows my Eternal Rival like I do," Gai declared, with a satisfied glance around at the lurking jounin. "Before he grew to be so hip and cool, Kakashi was the embodiment of punctuality! He even liked to get to new places early in order to be prepared for anything that might happen! He walked past this area about twenty minutes ago."

Iruka heard a few groans and an agitated rustle of newspaper from the lurking jounin, but couldn't be bothered with them right now. He bit back a curse and made a hasty goodbye to Gai as he started running toward the school, realizing that he had indeed been counting on Kakashi to still have his old habits. Or maybe they were his new habits. His future habits? The habits Iruka was familiar with.

He slowed to a walk as he neared the schoolyard, seeing a few of the early arrivals clustered in small groups, talking among themselves. He scanned the edges of the yard and surrounding areas for Kakashi, but didn't see him. Not wanting to lose any more time, Iruka made his way inside to start preparing for class. He added "Yamada Kuwa" to his class roster and debated where to put Kakashi's seat. In the back might make him feel left out, in the front might make him feel singled out, and at the far ends of the rows might make him feel like an outsider. Iruka shuffled his seating chart to put little Kuwa in the center row next to the aisle, right in the center of the class. As Iruka was patting himself on the back for his excellent seating arrangement, Kakashi strolled into the room, heading straight for the end seat in the last row, by the window. Before Iruka could say anything, the bell rang and his class started filing in, everyone growing quiet as they noticed the new student. The student who normally sat in the seat Kakashi had claimed stalked up to him, only to be met by a baleful glare that practically invited the pre-genin to start a fight.

"That's my seat. You'll have to ask Iruka-sensei where you can sit." The boy said, leaning in and pointing at Kakashi.

"Iruka-sensei wants me to sit here. You're the one who has to ask him where to sit," Kakashi replied, calmly crossing his arms and deliberately looking away as though the matter were settled.

Iruka thought fast. Did he call Kakashi out on the lie and humiliate him in front of the class? It would only isolate him more and establish friction between the two boys. But letting Kakashi have his way now could set a bad precedent. Kakashi was really putting him on the spot with his little stunt. Was it just to get a rise out of Iruka?

"Iruka-sensei, did you say this kid could have my seat?" the displaced child called out, still pointing angrily at Kakashi. At that moment, Kakashi met Iruka's eyes and sent him a meaningful, practically pleading look. Iruka made his decision.

"Yes, I did. I've made some changes to the seating arrangement. You spend too much time causing trouble and goofing off in the back row, and you've climbed out the window too many times. Your new seat will be here, where I can see you better. And Mei, I know that's your seat, but you spend too much time gossiping with your neighbor and passing notes across the aisle when you think I'm not looking, so you'll be moving to the empty seat over there."

The two children groaned at the new seating arrangement, but took their new spots. Actually, now that Iruka thought about it, those two should have been moved a while ago. This might work out for the best after all. Still, he was going to talk to Kakashi about this after class.

"Now, class, once you've taken your seats, I'd like to introduce you to your new classmate, Yamada Kuwa."

All heads turned to stare at Kakashi, openly curious. A student starting in the middle of the school year, especially one they'd never seen before, was a rarity. A few of the friendlier students smiled and waved at their new classmate. Kakashi met their stares with a cool gaze and a slight bow of his head. So much for Tsunade's suggestion to smile and act pleasant.

Iruka sighed and continued with his introduction. The background story for Kuwa was that he was a village orphan who had been seeking private instruction on his own. The Hokage had thought he had talent and arranged for private tutors to bring him up to speed, but since all village shinobi had to graduate formally from the Acadamy, Kuwa was now here to finish his education and meet his comrades. Iruka gave the students the bare bones of Kuwa's history, telling them he had learned from private instructors until now and leaving Kakashi to fill in the rest for them later.

After that, Iruka had a fairly uneventful morning. The class was unusually well behaved, with no one wanting to take the chance of a lunch detention when that would be the only time they'd get to talk to the new kid, and Kakashi sitting quietly in the back and even taking the occasional note during lectures. At lunchtime Kakashi filed out with the rest of the class, bento in hand. The girl who sat next to him during class was talking to him and pointing out some of her friends as they entered the schoolyard for recess. Soon Kakashi had a crowd around him as the other students introduced themselves and tried to get to know him. Iruka smiled to himself. So far it was going a lot more smoothly than he'd anticipated.

The afternoon went much the same as the morning, with just a few of the rowdier students acting up to draw attention to themselves or to try to impress the new kid. When the three o'clock bell rang, all of the students bolted for the door, except for Kakashi, who lingered behind. When the last student left the room, Kakashi approached Iruka's desk. Perfect, Iruka thought, this will give me a chance to talk to him about that stunt he pulled this morning with the seating arrangements.

"Well, Kuwa, how was your first day of class?"

"I didn't think I'd be placed in the remedial class," Kakashi stated.

"Re- what are you talking about, 'remedial class?'"

"Tsunade-sensei said you were a gifted teacher, and since I was put in your class I thought that meant you would be working with the gifted students. I don't see how a class for the slowest learners will help assess my skills."

Iruka felt his face flush red as he fought back his temper, always feeling protective of his students. He had to remind himself that this was Kakashi in front of him, who had gone through the Academy at a time when emphasis was placed on early graduation. It had been common for children to graduate as early as six or seven, whereas now children entered the Academy between seven and eight and graduated usually between 10 and 13.

"It's not a remedial class, Kakashi. It's...an educational experiment. We're trying different ways of teaching to see which works best."

Kakashi nodded thoughtfully, then said "This one doesn't seem to be working. All of the students are way behind where they should be."

"They're exactly where I want them to be." Iruka answered testily.

"Could you explain the new system to me?"

"No."

Kakashi's eyes went from thoughtful to distant and disengaged, leaving Iruka regretting his defensive response to his question and sighing deeply. "It's not important right now. It's a system that's been very successful in other times and places and I think it will pay off here if we give it a chance." Iruka didn't mention that the successful time and place was Konoha, twenty years in Kakashi's future. "What's more important is how you're doing. How are you feeling today?"

"I feel fine. No physical side effects of the seal."

"That's good." Iruka hedged. He had been angling for more of an emotional response, but it seems young Kakashi was as closed of about his feelings as the older version. "How are you getting along with the other students?"

"Fine. I gave them the previously planned cover story. Most of them were sympathetic."

"Most of them?" Iruka prodded, but all he got in reply from Kakashi was a shrug.

"Speaking of previous planning, I'd appreciate if you didn't put me on the spot like you did this morning. You aren't the only student in this class and I can't be expected to side with you all the time. It will compromise our mission if I'm seen playing favorites."

Kakashi looked taken aback. "I'm sorry, Iruka-sensei, I thought you would have understood. I can't be watching my back for enemy shinobi if I'm distracted by spitballs from the students behind me. It seemed like a good way to get me optimally situated in the class without drawing attention to you placing me there."

"Was someone throwing spitballs at you?" Iruka asked, surprised.

"Not yet."

"Not yet?"

"But they will. In a day or two." Kakashi answered.

Iruka sighed again, rubbing his eyes. Kakashi was probably right There would be spitballs. Iruka kind of wanted to throw some at Kakashi right now. But he should have realized that Kakashi, a field shinobi fresh off a mission and in a new environment, would want a prime vantage point in his new surroundings. Maybe he was thinking of Kakashi too much as a student instead of the chuunin that he was. "It's OK, just next time try to talk to me ahead of time. We need to communicate better if we are to work together like this."

"Hai, sensei, I will try harder to keep you informed of my plans."

_His_ plans? Just who did this kid think he was? Iruka was team leader here! "You do that," Iruka said tightly. He would have final say over anything Kakashi proposed, anyway. "Was there anything else you wanted to talk to me about?"

Kakashi shifted his weight slightly, casting his eyes off to the side briefly before answering "No, Iruka-sensei. I think that covers everything."

Iruka nodded, knowing when a kid was lying to him. "How is your apartment?"

"It's not my apartment, but it's OK. They brought over some of my stuff and some new clothes for class."

"Well, that's good! Is there anything else you need? Something they've forgotten?"

"No, everything is there. It's fine."

"Well, if you need anything or have any questions, you let me know. They gave you my address, right?"

Kakashi nodded and said "I'll be fine, sensei. I'm not one of your students. I can take care of myself." And with that he turned and left the room.


	4. Chapter 4

Iruka walked to class the net morning with a renewed sense of determination. He _would not_ let Kakashi get under his skin. He'd worked successfully with troubled children, headstrong children, geniuses, and annoying, stuck-up comrades. What was Kakashi but all of these challenges rolled into one eight year old body? What Iruka had to remember was that _he_ was the adult here. He was the mature one, the one with the wisdom and perspective of age. He was the teacher, and even if he had nothing to teach Kakashi about the shinobi arts, he could teach him a few things about working as a team and trusting a comrade. He was also the one in charge of the classroom and the mission.

Iruka arrived at the schoolyard to find Kakashi waiting for him by the door. "Good morning, Kuwa. You're up early this morning." Iruka smiled pleasantly and gave Kakashi a little wave while he opened the door.

"I wanted to talk to you before class."

"OK, sure, come on in and close the door" Iruka said, ignoring the lack of return greeting from the boy and instead smiling even wider. "What's on your mind."

"I don't need to be in your class."

Hadn't they gone over this already? "Kaka-"

"Kuwa," Kakashi corrected.

"_Kuwa_," Iruka amended, "I know you don't think you need the course-"

"I _know_ I don't need it. Listen to me Iruka-sensei," Kakashi went on, "I payed attention to everything you said in class yesterday. There were only three things you said that I didn't already know, and I wrote them all down. This morning when I woke up I tested myself to see if I remembered them all, and I did. I also constructed a class seating chart from memory. Here, look, I think you'll find I've gotten most of the names. There were a few I wasn't introduced to or you didn't call on so I had to describe them, but they're all in the right seat."

Iruka held up his hand, trying to slow the normally taciturn boy's speech and make out what he was actually trying to say. "Ok, Ok, but what are you trying to prove here?"

"I'm trying to prove that I don't need to be in your class." Kakashi said, exasperated. "I tried to tell Tsunade-sensei this before, but she wouldn't listen. I remember attending the Academy for real, and I remember the lessons. I remember things that happened yesterday and the day before, and the day before that, so I am able to form new memories. I still don't remember my last mission, except for a little bit of the trip back to Konoha, and I still don't remember how I injured my eye, but I remember everything else."

"You injured your eye?" Iruka sat up, leaning to peer into Kakashi's eyes as he remembered Sakura's instructions to monitor the Sharingan for any signs of activity.

"Before." Kakshi explained, rolling said eyes. "That's why they're two different colors. Tsunade wouldn't tell me how, I think she's waiting to see if I remember on my own, but I did some reading. Severe inflammation can cause the iris to turn a darker color. So I must have had an injury or an infection at some point that I don't remember." Kakashi's brow furrowed. "First I thought it might have happened on the last mission and that's why I didn't remember, but Tsunade and Sakura acted like they were hiding something. I remember Sakura checking it a lot on the way back from the mission, and it was one of the first things Tsunade looked at, but they kept saying it looked fine and never did any treatments. And it doesn't hurt. That makes me think the injury happened before this mission."

"I see. Uh, what were the things I mentioned that you didn't already know?" Iruka asked, as curious to find out what he had taught the village's top ninjutsu specialist as he was eager to steer the conversation away from Tsunade and what she might be hiding.

"One, that we would be having a quiz today. Two, that there is a teacher at the Academy named Ayumu. He must have started after I graduated. And three, there is a ramen stand called Ichiraku's that supposedly has the best ramen in the village. What part of town is it in? Is it new?"

Iruka sighed, remembering that one of yesterday's lessons had gotten a little sidetracked and the topic of raman had come up. Glancing at the clock, Iruka saw his way out of the conversation."Look, class is going to start in ten minutes, so why don't we both get ready and we can talk about this later."

"But I-"

Iruka held up his hand in a silencing motion "I know you don't think you need to be here, but Tsunade thinks you do. Maybe she's just taking extra precautions, but she only wants to make sure you're safe. For all we know, the seal could have an ongoing effect, causing you to forget more and more things as time goes on."

Kakashi shook his head, "No, that's not happening. Tsunade even said the seal is stable. I'm not forgetting more. I just have a blank spot in my memory of this mission. If she wanted to assess my abilities, I could take a daily test-"

"And then what? Tsunade's not going to clear you for missions."

"I could train," Kakashi answered immediately. "Really train, not the simple exercises you do here. Maybe with Gai if they don't want me using ninjutsu or genjutsu. Taijutsu only. No chakra at all if that's what they want. Until Minato-sensei gets back from his mission. He'll probably be able to remove the seal, and if not he can watch my training and figure out if I can go on missions again with my team."

"Bring it up to Tsunade when you have your meeting with her at the end of the week." Iruka knew he was passing the buck, and he could tell by the look on Kakashi's face that he knew it too, but it was all he could do. Kakashi didn't need to be in this class. He wasn't forgetting more or regressing in any way. His argument made sense, if you didn't take into account that the Gai Kakashi was looking to train with was now an adult with a team of his own to train and that all of the people Kakashi thought would help him once they got back from their missions were actually dead. There was no logical way to argue against it without giving away too much of the truth. Even at this age, Kakashi was too much a ninja to simply accept things as they were told to him.

Kakashi met Iruka's eyes with a level stare. "You have a daily meeting with Tsunade. You could talk to her about it today."

"My meeting with Tsunade is to report on your condition. I will report to her what I observe. She is already aware of your concerns." Iruka said, hating how cold and impersonal he sounded, but not willing to give the boy false hope. He also wasn't going to try to win Kakashi's favor by letting him think that Iruka was siding with him against Tsunade. As easy as it would be to paint Tsunade as unreasonable and overprotective, Iruka knew it wouldn't be fair.

"Why won't you talk to her for me? She won't see me early unless I'm injured or the seal changes."

"Because I'm not in the habit of questioning my orders!" Iruka snapped, regretting it instantly as he saw Kakashi's face shut down. Iruka cursed himself and his short temper. Of all the things to say...

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. You make good points, but Tsunade knows more about this kind of thing than either of us."

That got no response from Kakashi, who was now staring at the floor.

"Class is starting in a few minutes. Let's just try to get through it, OK? I'll be sure to reiterate your concerns to Tsunade as well as report on your performance in class."

Iruka went to unlock the classroom door while Kakashi went quietly to take his seat, staring out the window as he bell rang and the other kids started filing in.

Iruka tried to shrug off his tension as the classroom filled with the noise and bustle of rowdy children finishing their conversations as they took their seats. He heard a "What's up with him?" as one of the students looked at Kakashi and saw another student shrug in response. Iruka assumed Kakashi would spend some time brooding over their conversation and was prepared give him his space for the rest of the morning. He was pleasantly surprised when he saw Kakashi raise his hand to participate in the class discussion, chiding himself once again for thinking of Kakashi as a normal eight year old. When Iruka called on him to answer a simple question about chakra affinities, Kakashi gave a lengthy and detailed explanation of various theories behind chakra building and molding, as well as how genetics lead to different countries having a preponderance of one affinity over another.

"Ah, thank you, Kuwa, that was very informative." Iruka said when Kakashi had finished, ignoring the muttered "Show off" from the one of the other students.

After that, Kakashi's hand went up for every question, forcing Iruka to call on him when no one else volunteered. By the third time, the class groaned out loud at the sound of his name and the more dramatic students slumped over their desks in exaggerated boredom while Kakashi spoke.

Thinking he should put an end to this, Iruka decided to move on to the morning's lecture. Turning to pull his chart of chakra pathways down over the blackboard, he announced that the next lesson would be on making simple clones. Facing the class once again after securing the chart in place, Iruka stopped short. His class looked like they were posing for a picture, each student sitting up at attention, hands folded neatly on heir desks, innocent expressions on their face. All save one. Kakashi scowled at the class and gave Iruka an "I-told-you-so" look, his desk covered in little white spots that could only be spitballs. Iruka sighed and decided to let it go, starting his lecture and being sure to face the class at all times.

Kakashi raised his hand twice to ask questions that would have been welcome in an advanced discussion, but Iruka knew that he already knew the answers and was just trying to make a point. When he raised his hand the third time Iruka tried to keep the frustration out of his voice as he explained, with as much patience as he could muster, that while he could see that Kuwa's previous tutor had explained the concepts behind a clone jutsu very thoroughly, it was new material to the rest of the class, so if he would please refrain from asking questions about anything other than elementary technique, he would appreciate it, and would be happy to answer any advanced questions after class.

When the lunch bell rang, Iruka heaved a sigh of relief. Once the class room was empty, he cleaned the spitballs off of Kakashi's desk as well as a few strays that had landed on the desk next to it. He felt a small swell of pride at the number of them, as well as the accuracy. Their must have been some sniper attacks during the lecture, meaning the class must have worked together to distract him from the launcher. No wonder there had been so many questions.

Of course, all of them working together to make such a coordinated attack on one student wasn't a good thing. This could quickly escalate if Iruka didn't put a stop to it. He'd have to be more alert this afternoon. Looking out the window to make sure nothing was going on in the schoolyard, he saw Kakashi sitting by himself under a tree, not eating and not particularly paying attention to what his classmates were doing, Not surprisingly, all of the other students were bunched into smaller groups, none of them looking at their new classmate. Iruka could practically feel the chill of their collective cold shoulder, but he decided to leave the lunch monitors to their jobs and sat down to eat his own lunch.

After lunch, Iruka gave the class their quiz, a simple ten question test, each question requiring two to three simple sentences. When Kakashi asked for more paper, saying Iruka didn't leave enough space for him to answer the questions properly, Iruka told him to look at it as an exercise in being brief and concise. Kakashi responded by writing all of his answers in field shorthand.

Finally the day ended, Iruka never having been so glad to hear the final bell. He called out to Kakashi as he packed up his things for the day. "Kuwa, a word after class, please."

Kakashi nodded and sat back down, waiting at his desk until the rest of the students left the room, one of them calling out "teacher's pet!" before darting out the door. Iruka got up to lock the door, not wanting to be interrupted, then turned to face Kakashi. They stared at each other across the room before Iruka spoke. "I know what you're up to, but it's not making you very popular with the other students."

Kakashi met Iruka's gaze. "Popularity isn't one of my mission objectives."

"Well, you're not doing a very good job of keeping a low profile. All you've done is draw attention to yourself."

"I was just following orders. Without question. I joined in class activities so you could monitor my condition and report my progress to Tsunade. Putting an experienced and gifted chuunin in a pre-genin class is going to attract attention. If the objective of keeping a low profile is in direct conflict with the objective of monitoring my condition, then maybe the mission parameters need to be reviewed."

"Or maybe you can just sit in your seat and keep quiet and not draw attention to yourself unless something is wrong!" Iruka yelled, tired of being trapped in a battle of wills with an eight year old.

Kakashi shrugged."Maybe."

Iruka subdued the urge to strangle him. "Good. Then I'll see you tomorrow. Good-bye, Kuwa."

"Goodbye, Iruka-sensei."

Iruka watched him go, then sank down in his chair, putting his head in his hands as he realized that once again Kakashi had gotten the better of him. He was going to have to have a serious talk with Tsunade about this.

He gathered his things and was just locking the classroom door when he heard the sudden commotion from outside. Children shouting and yelling, cheering for something. Iruka ran to the front door of the school just in time to see Kakashi punch one of his students in the face, while narrowly avoiding a kick from another. There were two boys and one girl ganging up on him, the rest of the class cheering them on. Kakashi ducked another kick, answering with a leg sweep that took down the attacker, but as he came up the girl caught him in the face with a right hook.

"Stop it!" Iruka yelled as he ran toward the fight. "Stop it right now!"

Kakashi got one more kick in, hitting the girl square in the stomach while one of the boys moved to grab his arms from behind. Iruka grabbed the boy and threw him to the ground, then grabbed Kakashi and the other boy by their hair, making both of them scream in protest as he forced them down to their knees.

"What is going on here? Is this how you treat your comrades?" Iruka was answered by a lot of yelling and finger pointing, each child talking over the rest until he couldn't stand it anymore.

"Stop it!" He hollered, bringing instant silence to the cacophony of shrill little voices. "We'll discuss your punishment tomorrow in class! All of you go home and think about your role in this. You four, you're coming with me to the school nurse, and then maybe we'll discuss some additional punishment for you."

Iruka slowly let up on his grip in the children's hair, watching as they climbed to their feet, both rubbing their heads angrily. Iruka went to where the girl still lay on the ground, catching her breath after having the wind knocked out of her. He picked her up and put her on her feet, then helped up the boy he had thrown, and gathered them together, a shaking, miserable collection of eight year olds if he ever say w one.

"Is anyone seriously hurt?"

They all shook their heads, none wanting to admit that they had taken any good hits.

"Well, we'll go down to the nurse and have her check for sure" "Iruka said, glancing at the red mark next to Kakashi's left eye that was sure to be a bruise in the morning. The Sharingan eye. Of course it would be the Sharingan eye.

"All right, let's go" he said, giving the closest student a little shove in the direction of the school, following behind as his scruffy, sulking students made their way down the hall to the school medic.

Sakura had been assigned as school nurse while Kakashi was enrolled in Iruka's class. It was an easy mission for her and gave her a well deserved break, while putting someone familiar with Kakashi and the Sharingan on site in case of emergencies. When Iruka walked in he found her siting at the nurse's desk with her feet up, a bag of cookies by her side, reading a novel.

"Iruka-sensei!What brings you here?" Sakura asked, a barely perceptible note in her voice asking if everything was OK.

Iruka gave an infinitesimal shake of his head before answering "I'm afraid a few of my students had a little scuffle after class. I'd like you to look at them before I send them home."

Sakura was on her feet in an instant, wiping cookie crumbs from her apron. "Of course", she said, all business as she peered behind Iruka to survey the damage. "Who's first?"

"Why don't you take Kuwa first, while I talk to these three."

"OK. Kuwa-kun, right this way please!" Sakura reached past Iruka to grab Kakashi's hand, practically yanking him into the office and closing the door.

Iruka was just turning to lecture the other students when the door yanked back open and Sakura stuck her head out "Actually, Iruka-sensei, could I see you a moment?"

Iruka's stomach lurched. Something must be wrong. Something must have happened to the eye. _Shit!_ All he had to do was keep an eight year old safe and he couldn't manage it for two whole days!

Sakura reached out and grabbed his arm, dragging him into the office with her. "Sorry, Iruka-sensei, you looked a little...pre-occupied. I just thought it would be better if we were all in here together."

'Oh, uh, Right. Of course. Good idea."

"Now, Kuwa-kun, let's take a look, shall we?"

"No."

"No? Why not? It won't hurt." Sakura stated sweetly.

"Because Tsunade said she would see me if I was injured or sick. Well, now I'm injured."

"Kakashi-" Sakura began

"Kuwa." Kakashi corrected.

"_Kakashi_" Sakura insisted, a familiar impatience creeping into er voice, "Tsunade placed me here in the school specifically to treat you if you were injured. You have to at least let me triage you."

"No"

Sakura;s eyebrow twitched right before she grabbed the boy and plunked him down on the exam table. "Sit still and look straight ahead" She barked, grabbing a light off the counter.

Kakashi sighed deeply but did as he was told, flinching slightly as Sakura raised a hand toward his face.

"Sorry," she murmured. "I just need to hold it open. I won't touch anything else, and if it hurts you can tell me to stop."

Iruka tried not to fidget as he stood behind her, watching over her shoulder as she held a round lens in front of Kakashi's eye and made him look up, then down, left and then right. Finally, she sat back and smiled.

"It's OK, Kuwa-kun. It'll be bruised tomorrow and a little tender, but otherwise fine. Are you hurt anywhere else?"

Kakashi shook his head, then looked Sakura in the eyes. "Why are you so worried about that eye?"

"Because someone just punched it." Sakura replied lightly, then bent to start writing her exam notes in "Kuwa's" chart.

"Besides that," Kakashi persisted. "If there was nothing special about that eye, I wouldn't have had to come here after a little after school fight, and you and Tsunade and Iruka-sensei wouldn't be worrying about it so much."

Sakura straightened and met Kakashi's gaze. "School policy has changed since you graduated. Every injury comes to the school nurse, no matter how minor. As for your eye, yes, you did injure it at one point. As a result that eye will always be delicate and you should tell a medic, preferable Tsunade-sama or me, if you have any trouble with it. OK?"

Kakashi absorbed that for a second, maybe surprised at getting such a straightforward answer, then nodded slowly. "Was it...Did the injury occur on the mission?"

Sakura shook her head. "No, it wasn't on your most recent mission. That's all I can tell you right now. I'm sorry."

Kakashi nodded again and hopped off the table. "Thank you, Sakura-sensei."

"You're welcome!" Sakura smiled brightly. "Come see me anytime, but try not to get in any more fights, OK?"

Kakashi made a non-committal noise and started toward the door. Iruka opened it to find one of the Hokage's messengers standing outside waiting for him. With a sense of dread, he took the proffered note, reading it while Sakura shuffled the next student in. Iruka nodded and handed the paper back to the messenger. Turning to the two remaining children in the hallway, Iruka told them he had to go to an emergency meeting in the mission room, but he would be thinking about their punishment in the meantime.

When Iruka arrived at the mission room, Tsunade and Kakashi were already there, Tsunade pacing impatiently, Kakashi standing calmly and staring out the window.

"Tsunade-Sama" Iruka bowed low as he entered the room.

"Iruka-sensei, I give you one simple job-"

"I know, I know, I'll be more careful. I should have seen that the students were getting ready to gang up on him. It's all my fault."

"I know it is! And you!" Tsunade turned her anger to the little boy standing in front of her. To his credit, Kakashi only flinched a little bit. "Since when do you not know how an undercover mission works?"

"I stayed undercover."

"You were involved in a brawl in front of your entire class and whoever was walking down the street"

"But I didn't win. I let them hit me enough to think I was almost as bad as taijutsu as they are, and I only hit them enough to make them think twice about coming after me again." Kakashi gave Iruka a look. "By the way sensei, maybe you should spend more class time on taijutsu and physical conditioning."

Tsunade stopped her pacing. "Stop it now, brat! From now on you will behave as you would on any undercover mission. No more willful mis-interpretation of mission parameters."

"Yes, Tsunade-sensei."

"Good. Now get out. I want to talk to Iruka-sensei alone."

Kakashi turned and headed toward the door, giving Iruka a meaningful glance as he passed.

Iruka heard the door close behind him. "Tsunade-sama_"

"Shut up. I already know what you're going to say. I kept you here for two reasons. One, Kakashi can think you're pleading his case and might give you a break tommorrow. Two, because I wanted to tell you that I think we're making progress on the breaking the seal."

"Really? That's great! How much longer do you think it will be?"

"I'm not sure. The shinobi in custody had little knowledge of the seal, but by probing his memories Inoichi was able to watch the other ninja place it. He was able to show us a rough sketch of the original scroll as well as tell us where the casting ninja came from. It's given us a lot to work with. We're not there yet, but I think I see a light at the end of the tunnel."

"Well, that is good news. In the meantime..." Iruka started hopefully.

"In the meantime you'll conduct class as usual, with Kakashi as one of your students."

"Yes, Hokage-sama" Iruka sighed, making to leave.

"Iruka-sensei!

"Yes, Hokage-sama?" Iruka turned, snapping to attention.

"Control your class."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning Iruka took two aspirin for the headache he knew he was going to have, then shoved he rest of the bottle in his pack. He had a feeling he was going to need it.

Iruka was the first to arrive, and he used his time to write a punishment assignment on the board for the entire class. When the bell rang, he waited until everyone was seated before broaching the topic with the class. Of course everyone blamed Kakashi.

"But he started it!"

"You expect me to believe that?"

"Yes! Because it's true!

"He started it!"

"He started It!

"I started it!" 

"That's what I thought you'd say- wait. What?" Iruka did a double take and stared at Kakashi.

"What they said is true. I started the fight."

"Oh, so you're telling me they didn't wait for you after class?"

"They did."

"And they didn't tease you?"

"They did that too."

"And then one of them didn't push you?"

"No."

"No?"

"No. I pushed one of them. Her. She was the loudest and the closest."

"So you pushed one of them, and two others attacked you."

"No. I pushed her, then him, then punched him."

"You-you started three fights at the same time?"

"Yes, sensei."

"Why?!"

Kakashi just shrugged. When Iruka kept staring at him he said "I guess they made me mad."

"You guess they made you mad." Iruka repeated flatly.

Kakashi shrugged.

"Kuwa, what am I going to do with you!" Iruka groaned, letting his exasperation show.

"According to the student manual, punishment for fighting ranges from a three day suspension to expulsion."

One of the boys piped up "Yeah, that's right, sensei. You should expel him. He thinks he's too smart for this school anyway!" The other students joined in, all calling for Kakashi's expulsion.

Iruka turned and yelled "You be quiet and let me handle this!" The students fell back in their chairs, silent but still eyeing their classmate, eagerly awaiting his downfall.

Turning back to Kakashi, he eyed him cooly. _Manipulative little bastard. Two can play at your game._

"So there's quite a range of punishment then?"

Kakashi nodded. "There's room for administrative discretion, depending on the severity of the fight and whether or not the student is a repeat offender."

"Don't forget, sensei, he started _three fights at once!" _cried the girl whose loud voice singled her out as the first target.

"Oh, I'm not forgetting. I'm not forgetting anything."

"Ha!" cried one of the boys, "You're going to get it now!"

"Yeah!" piped in the girl.

"It sure was a nice day yesterday, wasn't it?"

The entire class looked at Iruka as though he were crazy, not understanding the change of subject.

"And the weather's beautiful today, too. Anyone know the weather forecast for the next few days?"

One student raised her hand, offering quietly, "It's supposed to be nice for the rest of the week, sensei. Warm, breezy, with some clouds, but no rain until next week."

"Thank you, Aiko. Sure sounds like a nice time to take a little vacation, doesn't it?"

One or two of the students offered up their hesitant agreement.

"I think Kuwa thinks so, too. I think Kuwa's looking for a few days off from school."

"What, you think he _wants_ to get suspended?"

"Who _wants_ to get suspended from school?"

"People with no parents to answer to, that's who!"

"All right class! Enough!" Iruka shouted, feeling bad that things had gotten so personal. "Everyone, you have your assignment for ganging up on a comrade yesterday. It will be due in one week. If I see anyone copying from anyone else, you will be sorry! Kuwa, you'll see me after class for your punishment."

It took a while for the class to settle down after the morning's excitement, but Iruka assigned them a chapter to read and answer questions on and eventually things calmed down with only the occasional glance or whisper in Kakashi's direction. Kakashi, for his part seemed to actually be doing his assignment for a change, though begrudgingly.

Iruka kept one eye on the class while grading papers, noticing when one by one the class stopped reading and started writing. Looking up, expecting Kakashi to be finished, he saw the boy was still reading and seemed genuinely interested in the lesson. Surprised, Iruka left him alone even though he wasn't doing the written portion of the assignment. At least he was being quiet.

When the lunch bell sounded Kakashi slowly closed his textbook and took it out into the field with him. Iruka watched from his desk as Kakashi sat under the same tree as the day before and started reading again.

After lunch, Kakashi sat at his desk, ignoring the class and reading voraciously. Iruka ignored him until he noticed Mai, who sat next to him, had pulled her chair over and was now sitting hip to hip with Kakashi, her mouth moving as she read along with him. Curious as to what Kakashi could find so interesting Iruka casually walked around the room until he stood behind the two readers. Peeking over Kakashi's shoulder, he started to read along with them, then snatched the book out of Kakashi's hands.

"Where did you get this?" Iruka shouted, waving the bright orange book in front of Kakashi's face.

"Someone gave it to me," Kakashi said, looking startled. Had he really not realized Iruka was behind him?

"Who?"

Kakashi thought a second. "I think it was Genma's dad."

_Genma. _Iruka was going to kill him.

"And you normally go around talking to strangers and accepting books from them?"

Again that infuriating shrug.

"Don't forget to see me after class." Iruka huffed and stalked back to his desk. Stuffing the book in one of the drawers, he noticed that Genma had at least blacked out the author's name. Opening it, he saw that the copyright page had been torn out. At least Genma wasn't a _complete_ idiot.

After the final bell, Kakashi waited until all the other children left before approaching Iruka's desk.

"Well, Kuwa, I guess we still have to figure out your punishment."

"I just came for my book."

"Your- I'm not giving you that book!"

Kakashi sighed, "Fine, then I'll just have to go buy another one."

"You can't. It's restricted." Iruka said tersely.

Kakashi raised one eyebrow at him. "Henge no Jutsu!"

With a puff of smoke, an adult Kakashi stood before him.

Iruka balked. Kakashi had recreated his adult self perfectly. Wearing a standard Konoha shinobi uniform, this Kakashi had the same height, same build, same hair, even the same posture. And the same bored expression in his eyes. His eyes. Iruka looked up, looking into Kakashi's still mismatched eyes. No sharingon, still one gray and one dark brown eye, no scar. But looking closely, Iruka noticed that the hitai-ate was slightly tilted toward the brown eye, like it's owner had put it on hastily or knocked it off kilter at some point and hadn't bothered to fix it yet.

Henge Kakashi put both his hands in his pockets, cutting a familiar figure as he slouched in front of Iruka's desk. "Now can I have my book back, or do I really have to go buy another one?"

Iruka sighed in resignation. He couldn't have Kakashi walking around the village like that, looking for an adult bookstore. And at least this copy had incriminating names and dates removed. Iruka reluctantly opened the drawer and handed the book over.

Kakashi withdrew a hand from his pocket, taking the book and giving Iruka a smile in exchange. The sight of Kakashi clutching his ever-present Icha-Icha and giving his signature smile had Iruka gobsmacked.

Just then the door opened and both men turned to see Sakura poking her head into the classroom.

"Sorry to interrupt but – Oh! Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura looked so startled she almost dropped the folders she was carrying.

Iruka could see the puzzlement cross Kakashi's profile at being addressed that way. He quickly reached across the desk to smack Kakashi on the back of the head with a sharp "Baka!", surprising him out of the henge and back to his normal state.

"Oh!' Sakura giggled, recovering quickly, "I meant to say 'Iruka-sensei'. You surprised me, Kakashi-kun."

Kakashi grunted as he tucked the book into his bag, adding "It's Kuwa."

"Well, Kuwa," Sakura went on, "I'm here because Tsunade thinks she's found the seal placed on you. She wants to try to remove it."

Kakashi's head snapped up. "When?"

"Whenever you'r ready."

"I'm ready now."

"Great! Let's go then! Tsunade wants to do it at T&I headquarters so if you'll just come with me."

Kakashi had already shouldered his bag and was standing by the door by the time she finished speaking.

Iruka watched the two leave, Sakura with a wave goodbye and Kakashi without any acknowledgement, leaving Iruka alone in the silent classroom. Usually he enjoyed having the room to himself, but today it just felt...empty. Barren. Maybe because he really had wanted to go with Kakashi and Sakura, wanted to know how it went, wanted to be there for Kakashi if the unsealing failed. Then he laughed at himself. Kakashi couldn't stand him. Iruka was the last person Kakashi was going to want to see if the seal failed, if only because that meant he'd have to keep coming back to Iruka's class indefinitely. Then Iruka realized what he was feeling. He felt the way he did when his class left for summer break, those who graduated going on to their next step, those who didn't gone for the summer, to return in a few months the same but changed, familiar but different. Taller, longer hair, new clothes, new style, new cliques formed over the summer months, the new would become familiar and the old would become memory, marking the end of one time period and the start of another.


	6. Chapter 6

Iruka was walking home from the mission room when he saw a previously familiar figure leaning against a fence up ahead, book in hand. It had been about two weeks since the unsealing, and Tsunade had debriefed Iruka with minimum information, basically that the unsealing had been difficult but successful and that Kakashi was expected to make a full recovery. It was unclear at the time how much of the incident Kakashi would remember or when he would return to work. The shinobi rumor mill had been doing its best to fill in the gaps with worst case scenarios, everything from Kakashi going insane upon remembering twenty years of shinobi life at once, to him going missing-nin and running off to join Akatsuki. Iruka was wondering how to approach the other man when he saw Kakashi straighten up, shutting his book with one of his fingers still holding his page.

"Iruka-sensei, how good to see you again!"

"Kakashi-sensei," Iruka greeted politely, still unsure but trying to act neutrally. "How are you today?"

"I'm very well, thank you!" Kakashi said lightly, smiling under his mask. "I wanted to thank you personally for your recent help."

"Oh, ah, no need for that, Kakashi-sensei, it was no trouble at all. I'm just glad to see you fully recovered." Iruka thought he saw a slight stiffening of Kakashi's lax posture and thought maybe he had misspoke. Maybe a few weeks after such an emotional and physical trauma was too soon to use the phrase "fully recovered."

"I'm sure it was some trouble. I'm always told I was a difficult child." Kaksahi scratched the back of his head with his non-book hand. "Tsunade tells me I wasn't much better the second time around."

Iruka laughed at that. "No better and no worse than any other kid. All in a day's work."

Kakashi smiled again, and somehow it seemed more genuine this time. "I'm glad you think so."

"Do you remember any of it?" Iruka asked, not wanting to pry but wanting to give the man a chance to talk about it if he wanted to. Plus, he had to admit, he was curious.

"I do." Kakashi said, looking distant. He didn't say anything for a moment, and when he spoke his voice had lost it's usual put-on carefree tone. "It's becoming more distant, though. Foggy. Like my real memories of being that age. Then sometimes it's sharp and crisp like it just happened." Kakashi looked down, shaking his head slightly before he continued. "All of my memories are still sorting themselves out. The older memories were so vivid, like they had just happened. Emotions too. Raw, sharp, oppressive. Memories would just come, like I had to live it all over again. Like my mind had to look at each one and process it before it could file it away where it belonged. Now they're fading, taking their regular place in the back of my thoughts, I guess. But sometimes I'm still confused. And I don't think my brain knows what to do with memories made under the seal."

Iruka was silent. He hadn't been expecting such an open and honest answer and he was still processing the implications of what he had ben told when Kakashi suddenly straightened, reaching into his hip pouch and pulling out a little gift bag.

"Oh, I was wondering if you could give this to little Mai for me?"

Iruka took the bag without a word, thrown off by the sudden change in tone and topic. "Uh, sure, Kakashi-sensei. I hadn't realized you two had hit it off so well."

"Well, I didn't think she should have to wait nine more years to find out how it ends."

That was when Iruka caught a glimpse of bright orange inside the bad. Grabbing the book out of the bag, Iruka shook it in front of Kakashi's face.. "Idiot! I'm not giving a nine year old girl a book like this!"

"Hmm, afraid she lacks the maturity to appreciate it? You're probably right. You keep it then. A little something to remember you past student by. It's better than an apple, isn't it?"

And with that, Kakashi poofed out of sight, leaving Iruka by himself and holding Konoha's most easily recognized book as a group of Hyuuga clan elders approached. Iruka stuffed the book back into the bag, trying to hide the title as much as he was trying to show off the colored bag with the bow on the handle that would tell people it was a gift. Not that he wanted people thinking he enjoyed gifts like this, but it was better than them thinking that he had bought it for himself. Wasn't it? What kind of man got a book like this as a gift? Damn Kakashi! Damn that little brat!

As the group of elders passed, one of the women left the group and made her way toward Iruka. "Great, now I"m going to get lectured by an old lady for reading smut in public," Iruka thought to himself as he watched the woman make her way slowly toward him, leaning heavily on her cane. When she grabbed his sleeve he bent down so she could speak directly into his ear.

"It's all right, Iruka-sensei," the woman said softly, "We saw Kakashi give it to you. That's one of his favorite tricks, you know. He even got me with it a few years ago!" she said with a giggle that quickly devolved into a small coughing fit. Iruka dug in his bag for his water bottle, but the elder just waved it away. "Take my advice," she whispered, pulling him even closer, "read the book!"

Suddenly, Iruka was smiling as he realized Kakashi had gotten one over on him yet again. Now that he didn't have the authority of teacher-hood to help him, he had a feeling this was going to be happening more and more often. He was surprised to find that he felt up for the challenge. In fact, he was looking forward to it. He had a feeling life was going to be a little more interesting from now on.


End file.
